sleeping out

For the last three days I have been sleeping out in a hammock in the middle of a huge wood in Dorset. Peeing in a dug-out trench and showering under a bag that dribbles water out, into which I have to pump water. John spent a good part of the evening I got home removing a tick from my bum - lovely! He grabbed it by the body like we were instructed and twisted it out, but there was still bits left in and as I was paranoid about lyme disease, he spent a good while inspecting to make sure he got ever little bit.
My brother-in-law Tony runs bushcraftuk.com web site and magazine, and asked if I would go along and take some photographs. It was a great experience, I observed a group making cordage out of bark and nettles. They also made spoons from wood and a flint napper demonstrated how to find flint, then chip it into spear heads and ax heads. I also followed a hyperactive Dutchman and his students on a trek - they all had full back packs and I was doing my best to keep up with my camera. I would stop to take a picture and then have to run to catch up before I found myself stranded in the middle of nowhere :) They caught trout with their own made fishing lines and then cooked them out on the fire. It was a great experience and although awake at 5am with the dawn "hallelujah" chorus waking me up, I think that it is a great way to get away from the madness of life and just enjoy nature at its best.